Media Journal In video production, how can color be used

for symbolic purposes?

Generating Meaning with Color

Broadcast and Video Production I

Terms Color: Is the property of light, not of object

or liquids. Hue: Describes the color itself.

Red, blue, green, and yellow are color hues

Terms Saturation: Saturation describes the color

richness-the color strength. Saturation is sometimes called chroma, which is

Greek for “color”. White, gray, and black have no chroma (actual

color saturation) and are therefore, called achromatic colors.

Terms Brightness: Indicated by how light or dark

a color appears in a black and white photograph. The brightness of a color depends on how much

light the color reflects. Black and white TV’s produce images that vary

in brightness only.

Informational Function of Color Color tells us more about a scene; we

simply get more information from a color picture than we do from a black and white one.

Choosing Colors Surrounding Colors: The way we perceive a

color is greatly influenced by the surrounding colors.

Similar Colors: When you use the same color for the foreground object as for the background, you will have a hard time seeing the object.

Contrast Colors: Just as similar colors can lead to poor pictures; so does too much contrast between foreground and background.

Colors and Feelings Colors seem to influence our perceptions

and emotions in fairly specific ways. Certain colors seem warmer than others; some

appear closer or more distant. Some colors have high-energy and excite us;

other have low-energy and calm us down.

Examples A box painted with a warm color seems

heavier than the same-weight box painted a cooler color.

In a room light with red light, we seem to feel that time moves more slowly; in one illuminated by cooler light, time seems to go a little faster.

Color Energy Is the relative aesthetic impact a color has

on us. The energy of a color depends on: The hue, saturation and brightness attributes of a

color. The size of the colored area. The contrast between foreground and

background colors.

Color Energy and Graphics To draw attention to a title or graphic area,

use a high-energy color set off against a low-energy background. High Energy: “loud” or “bright” colors – pure reds,

yellows, blues Low Energy: washed-out or pastel colors –

beige, pink, light blue, grays

Expressive Function of Color Color is intended to make us feel a specific

way. Colors can: Express the essential quality of an object or

event. Add excitement and drama to an event. Help establish a mood.

Color Symbolism Cool Colors (blue, green, violet)

Tend to suggest tranquility, aloofness, and serenity

Tend to recede in an image

Warm Colors Suggest aggressiveness, violence, and

stimulation Tend to come forward in most images

Lighting All video uses some sort of lighting, whether it be natural

light (from the sun) or artificial lights. The goal of video lighting is to choose the best source(s) to achieve your goals.

First and foremost you need enough light. You must ensure that your camera is able to record an acceptable picture in the conditions. With modern cameras this is seldom a problem except in very low light or strong contrast.

Lighting Assuming you have enough light, you must then

consider the quality of the light and how the various light sources combine to produce the image.

If you have clashing light sources (e.g. artificial interior lights with sunlight coming through the windows), you may find the colors in your image appear unnatural. It's best to control the light sources yourself if possible (e.g. turn off the lights or close the curtains).

Contrast Ratio The difference in brightness between the brightest and

darkest parts of the picture. Video does not cope with extreme contrast as well as

film, and nowhere near as well as the human eye. The result of over-contrast is that some parts of the

picture will be too bright or too dark to see any detail. For this reason you need to ensure that there is not too much contrast in your shot.

Lighting When moving between

locations, think about what light source you are using. If you move from an outside setting to an inside one with artificial lights, the amount of light may seem the same but the color temperature will change according to the type of lights.

In this case you need to white balance your camera for the new light source.

White Balance White balance basically means color balance. It is a

function which gives the camera a reference to "true white" — it tells the camera what the color white looks like, so the camera will record it correctly. Since white light is the sum of all other colors, the camera will then display all colors correctly.

White Balance Incorrect white balance shows up as pictures with

orange or blue tints:

Correct Too orange Too blue

White Balance You should perform this procedure at the beginning of

every shoot, and every time the lighting conditions change. It is especially important to re-white balance when moving between indoors and outdoors, and between rooms lit by different kinds of lights.

During early morning and late evening, the daylight color changes quickly and significantly (although your eyes don't notice, your camera will). Do regular white balances during these periods.

White Balance A camera with a manual white-balance function. There

should be a "white balance" button or switch on your camera.

Point your camera to a pure white subject, so that most of what you're seeing in the viewfinder is white.

Activate the white balance by pressing the button or throwing the switch. The camera may take a few seconds to complete the operation, after which you should get a message (or icon) in the viewfinder.